This Mother’s Day, I thought long and hard about what exactly I wanted to say about my mom.  I mean there’s just so much material to work with including all the classics – her selflessness, her helping the needy and of course, her unwavering love for her perfect children.  Hmm… these all sound a little boring, and no matter where my thoughts led, I always came back to “music.”  No big surprise there.  You see, anyone who knows me, knows I grew up in a house that was always filled with love, laughter and you guessed it, MUSIC!

The fact is my mom is quite simply an incredible pianist.  She always has been.  Just natural talent.  As young children, my brother and I could often be found playing with our toys underneath her giant grand piano, listening to Chopin in stereo surround sound as she tirelessly practiced.  

 I used to beg her to play Witch’s Dance just so I could watch her hands violently fly across the ebony and ivory keys as fast as they could as if she was possessed by a mad man!  It was magic watching her play!

This incredible talent of hers also came in quite handy for those rare occasions when we found ourselves getting into trouble.  Now of course you’re thinking, why on earth would such perfectly behaved children ever be punished?  Such cruelty.  Alas, it’s true.  There were several times during our “traumatic” childhood where we were wrongfully convicted of naughtiness and sent to opposite ends of the house where we were forced to sit in our rooms for what seemed like eternity, reflecting upon our infractions.

Lucky for us, mom would go right back to her piano as soon as we were out of sight and we always had an escape plan.  You see, we each had doors leading to the backyard near our rooms.  So, the moment she went back to playing, we would quietly sneak out into the backyard and continue playing (or fighting as the case may be) without missing a beat.  Oh, such clever children.  It was pure genius!

Of course, the second the music stopped, we’d dart back inside, run and slide back into our rooms like Babe Ruth, and look up at her as she came in to check on us just like the innocent little cherubs she believed us to be.

There was one particular summer day I will never forget. We had just been scolded and sent to time outs.  Of course, the moment she went back to playing, we were already out of our cells running around the yard laughing and playing, keeping our ears open for the music to stop (kind of like a comical game of musical chairs).  The late afternoon sun was low in the sky, the birds were chirping in the trees, the frogs could be heard coming out into the cool evening air. A dragonfly flew past and we began to lose ourselves in thought.  That’s when it happened! All of a sudden, the back door went flying open with a bang, and there she was!  The universe went completely silent in the blink of an eye.

With a look of fury in her eyes, arms sternly crossed, she angrily burst out, “just what do you two think you are doing?”  My wide-eyed brother let out a gasp, his mouth left gaping open.  I shrieked in horror!  Each of us began trying to cower behind the other, stammering for words.  What just happened?  Our minds struggled to find the answers.  How did she do this?  The piano is still playing!  I know I hear it!  Have I gone completely mad?  Is this really happening?  Is it black magic?  Who is this crazy-eyed woman standing over us posing as our mother!  An imposter?

Well, let me share a little secret.  My oh so clever mother had tape recorded herself earlier that day on the cassette player of her ghetto blaster and pressed play as she set out to find out what exactly her wayward little children had been up to!  Our gig was finally up!

So, for all you mothers out there who ALWAYS know what your kids are up to, and to my own incredibly ingenious mother, happy Mother’s Day!

Read more about my fun loving mom and other stories about my life!